Japanese experts to train prospective Saudi businesswomen

RIYADH – Japanese women experts in business administration will train young Saudi women how to start small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) at a two-day seminar starting here March 9.

Four Japanese women will conduct the seminar, sponsored jointly by the Ministry of Economy and Planning and the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC), said an official source of the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), a Japanese government body in Riyadh for technical cooperation between the two countries.

The training of young Saudi women for running small and medium-size businesses is the latest effort in technical cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Japan, the official said.

“Under the ‘train-the-trainer program’, a first of its kind initiative between Japan and Saudi Arabia, the Japanese women experts will train the Saudi women how to start SMEs,” he said.

In fact, the initiative was launched last year when Saudi women in two batches of four each underwent a one-month training program held in Japan, he said.

Considering the Kingdom’s position which strictly adheres to an Islamic lifestyle, the Saudi women who traveled to Japan for training were accompanied by their guardians - either their father, brother or husband, he said.

The forthcoming seminar will also be an all-women affair in Riyadh, he said. The Japanese women will deliver lectures on business and economy and make presentations on how to be a successful businesswoman.

During the course of the seminar, a workshop will be organized and the event is expected to attract many young Saudi women who want to learn about starting business projects on their own, he added.

The Japanese women experts will also be taken on a tour of the businesses owned and run by Saudi women, he said.

He said that the ‘train-the-trainer’ program was launched when TVTC designed a pilot project for its undergraduate women students studying at various vocational colleges in Saudi Arabia.

Since the government of Saudi Arabia is keen to promote business among Saudi women, the Ministry of Economy and Planning and the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CSCCI) intervened to make the program a big success, he said. A large number of young Saudi women are expected to receive business training after which they will start giving training courses in various parts of the country, he said. – SG